Tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. the Small Wonder Foundation is hosting my celebratory launch reading and reception. If you are in the area, I would love to see you there.

More information is available either on my website or my blog.

I think I've said this before, but the rejections are the hardest thing for me. I, too am routinely on the receiving end of the rejection slip, so I know how it feels. You've all put an enormous amount of effort and time and thought into your poems, and it shows, which is why I ended up turning down some very competent work this time. I hope that those of you whose poems we did not select will find success in publishing them elsewhere, and that you will continue to write and submit to Poemeleon. Regretfully, in order to speed up the process I had to resort to generic letters for the majority of rejections. It's not my preference, but I just didn't want to keep anyone waiting any longer. Joyfully, I think this is going to be one our most interesting issues to date.

Thanks for your patience. Look for the persona poem issue in early June.

Cati Porter

Just thought I'd let you all know that I'll be reading this weekend. Hope to see some of you there!

*  *  *

Cati Porter, Featured Reader  

Friends of the Claremont Library Poetry Series

Sunday April 27, 2008

2 p.m., Claremont Public Library

208 N. Harvard Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711-4758
Phone: (909) 621-4902

Here is an upcoming reading at Beyond Baroque that will feature several Poemeleon contributors, Lucia Galloway, Judy Kronenfeld, and Ruth Nolan, as well as Rattle editor Timothy Green, and sponsored by John Amen, editor of another fine journal, The Pedestal.

I'd be there myself, but am also reading that day (I'm going to post that info in a different announcement), but if you're ambitious -- and have a speedy vehicle -- you could race from one reading to the other!

***

POETRY READING
Sunday, April 27, 4:00 p.m.
Beyond Baroque, Venice, CA


SPONSORED BY THE PEDESTAL MAGAZINE
www. thepedestalmagazine. com
Sunday, April 27, 4:00 p.m.


Beyond Baroque
681 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA
phone 310-822-3006
http://www. beyondbaroque. org/

Readers:
Ed Frankel
Marylen Grigas
Ellaraine Lockie
Karen Stromberg
David Dannov
PB Rippey
Timothy Green
Judy Kronenfeld
Lucia Galloway
Florence Weinberger
Ruth Nolan

For more information:
contact Beyond Baroque
phone 310-822-3006
http://www. beyondbaroque. org/

or contact event coordinator:
John Amen - pedmagazine@carolina.rr.com
or event assistant Ruth Nolan runolan@aol.com

• Kristen Orser, for "Minnows" (The Prose Poem Issue)
• Benjamin Vogt, for "Portraiture at Blanks' Photography -- Weatherford, 1978" (The Form Issue)

Congratulations! And best of luck.

Spell Out Whatever You Want! Now!  

On January 22, 2008, the Burmese poet Saw Wei was arrested for publishing an eight-line poem entitled “February Fourteenth” in the weekly publication Love Journal.

The acrostic poem spells out “General Than Shwe is crazy with power”.

Saw Wei, a popular poet and performance artist, has headed up the poetry recital group, White Rainbow, fundraisers for AIDS orphans. He participated in the 1988 uprising, and has been an active proponent of human rights. Saw Wei is now in prison, held incommunicado. No information regarding charges has been released to the public.

Babel Fruit would like to call for contributions for a special supplemental: a selection of acrostic poems to be published on February 14th. The poems may spell out any word you feel is appropriate.

We encourage readers and contributors to print out Babel Fruit's PDF collection (including Saw Wei’s poem) and mail it to their diplomatic representative in Myanmar.

Let’s make this happen! There are only five days left until the deadline, but we can do it. Don’t revise and revise this time. Rage!

I am hoping there will be so many poems I will be totally overwhelmed and will need many, many people to help compile the poems.

Send poems to editors@babelfruit.org and put “Wei” in the subject line.

We also encourage other direct initiatives to help Saw Wei. Send individual or group responses to your diplomatic representatives to draw attention to this cause.

2:30 p.m. Sunday February 10, 2008

Information including a link to a map is on the web - http://www.chrystin edrums.com/ PoeticSouls. html

Located across the street from Lowes Hardware, one block North off the I-57 freeway, Arrow Highway exit. On Bonita Ave. , in the shopping mall area. Corner of Bonita Ave. and Arrow Hwy. Turn in where you see the Boot Barn, look for the corner of the mall with the school house steeple.